Kukla's Korner Hockey

“Do I have an offer from Russia? Probably,” Jagr said, refusing to discuss details of what Bardin promised him when he flew to New York to meet with him and with Sather on March 30.

But when asked whether it was now a case of seeing whether the Rangers would match the offer or come close, Jagr replied: “No, it’s not that at all. I just want to know if I feel any interest from New York. That’s what I want to know first.

“I told (the Omsk representatives) I didn’t want to talk to anybody before I talked to the Rangers. They know that.”

An NHL source said yesterday that Panthers GM Jacques Martin—a former coach of Redden with the Senators—is going to take a hard run at signing the veteran defenceman off the open market.

The Panthers’ top priority in the off-season is signing a puck-moving defenceman and Redden, who struggled last year as the Senators’ highest-paid player, fits the bill.

The Panthers won’t be alone in their pursuit of Redden, who will likely have to take a cut anyway to sign with another NHL club, although only to the $5-million range. It’s believed the Blackhawks, Canucks, Predators, Flyers and, possibly the Maple Leafs have an interest in Redden.

...there is a brewing problem between coach Michel Therrien and some of his players—a number of them despise playing for him.

No one will choose the Stanley Cup final as a forum to call out their coach but there are far too many whispers out there that too many players can’t stand working for—or with—Therrien.

If that isn’t an issue to be dealt with immediately, it is certainly something that will grow with time. Brooks Orpik, the free agent defenceman who will be coveted by many teams after July 1, has told people he will not re-sign in Pittsburgh if Therrien is the coach. Jordan Staal, the terrific young player who lives in the shadow of Crosby and Evgeni Malkin—but is poised to bust out as one of the most complete centres in hockey—is another Therrien complainer.

General manager Jim Rutherford said Thursday that Bret Hedican has told the team he’s moving on, and although there’s a chance he could end up back with the Canes at some point later in the summer as a free agent, he no longer figures in their plans at this point.

The 37-year-old defenseman and his wife, figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, have said they plan to leave Raleigh and move to Northern California.

Well, folks in Detroit would tell you Zetterberg hasn’t been a secret to them for a long, long time. But on a Red Wings team loaded with talent, it’s also fair to say that the Swedish version of Doug Gilmour – superb offensively, superb defensively – has flown under the radar for the most part during his NHL career.

Spoke with JM today at The Bank, got a little bit of news from him regarding the coaching search—among other things.

First off, the Panthers have asked for and been granted permission to speak to Paul Maurice (Toronto) and Perry Pearn (Rangers assistant). Martin has already had a conversation with Maurice, done when JM was at the team’s development camp outside of Toronto….

JM says he has spoken with Jay Bouwmeester’s agent, but there has been no progress in talks for a contract. He says he expects talks to continue. When I asked him if he could foresee trading Bouwmeester at the draft if something isn’t reached, he said “I would doubt that. We’re not at that stage yet. We’re at the begining stages of the negotiations.’‘

Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie attempted to buy an interest in the Nashville Predators from troubled financier William “Boots” Del Biaggio two weeks ago but the National Hockey League cautioned against the plan, sources say.

And so the question of the day is this: Will Penguins fans ever get to see their team raise the Cup? Will they some day get to wonder who captain Sidney Crosby will turn to first?

For the moment the answer to those questions rests not with Crosby or Evgeni Malkin or Marc-Andre Fleury or even coach Michel Therrien. The fate of the franchise left their hands Wednesday night around 10:45 and was passed to general manager Ray Shero. It will be the decision-making ability of Shero, steeped in hockey knowledge but an inexperienced GM, that will impact the team’s future the most.

In short, the Red Wings did what was supposed to be nearly impossible — rebuild on the fly, with most of the players who make a difference on what was the best team in hockey, regular season and playoffs, playing on affordable contracts in an environment they’re not anxious to leave.

For all the winning the Red Wings did in the past, it was clear that this championship resonated with general manager Ken Holland, the architect of the team. In the pre-salary cap era, the Red Wings were able to outspend some teams. Even though they succeeded where other large-market teams (Rangers, Maple Leafs) faltered, there was always a stigma attached to their financial clout, as though somehow that cheapened the victory.